Hi All:
Just got back from a loan-out* to Winfield KS last night. Today, Zack and I ran a train on "our" sub. Though I enjoy loaning-out and railroading different areas, it was nice to be on the sure'nuf, laid back, "Hillbilly Central" that we work.
As has been the case on previous loan-outs there, the railroading at Winfield was quite hectic. (I love that place in a maschistic sort of way.) Such a contrast between it and the typical day-to-day on the Waldron Sub that I usually cover.
For those of you that don't know the situation at Winfield, you're looking at a very short yard consisting of 12 short tracks. In spite of the shorter equipment that was in service "back when", Winfield Yard would have been a challenge back in the Santa Fe days even, it is so small.
Trouble is, on today's South Kansas - Oklahoma RR, that small yard has to do the following:
1. Receive and classify a westbound freight that typically has several SD's on the front of 130 cars.
2. Ready the eastbound freight that typically has several SD's and 130 cars. (I took 3 SD 50/60's and 140 cars out to the Yard Limit on Thursday.)
2. Receive and classify a UP Local that can have 75 or so cars.
3. Receive and classify BNSF Local 9 that can have 75 cars or so.
4. Originate/terminate the sand local that has a minimum of 23 loads/empties in/out per day. (First night I had 49 loads coming back. Friday I ran 50 or so empties out to them. The train back on Friday was going to be 60+ loads. The plant wants to increase to 90 cars per day. All this is out on the end of a 7 mile long, 10MPH branch.)
5. Classify blocks to/from the Witchita turn.
6. Classify blocks to/from the Moline Rock train.
7. Receive and switch Rubbermaid cars.
8. Originate (switch/block) any additional freights as needed.
9. Clear as needed to accomodate the Witchita Turn, and the above interchange locals.
Needless to say, there are times that ALL tracks are full, and switching therein is a switchman's nightmare. (Thank God I only have to yank a throttle when there!) I have the deepest respect for the regulars that switch that yard. The creative juices that flow in order to find solutions to the ocassions that arise are a testimony to the capabilities of the railroaders of Watco. Great group of guys.
How intense is it?
Take Thursday, for example. After taking care of the things that had to be done (accomodate UP/BN locals, etc), we still had a ton of switching to do, and only a few hours left on our 12 hours. (By the way, I started my first shift at Winfield early Wednesday just after midnight. By Friday afternoon I had 37.25 wage hours to be billed to SKOL.)
By Thursday, the conductor had long ago figured out that I had been around the block a time or two in a set of engines. Knowing we still had a lot to do, and seeing as he had a brakeman working with him, he came up with a good plan. Essentially, he turned the flat yard at Winfield into a poor man's hump yard. In Conductor Dickie's words, "we're gonna' wake up the neighborhood." With no time wasted, I was kicking-off cuts from as deep as 50-60 cars.
In the few short hours that remained, we classified 300+ cars. No small feat, I might add. (See why I have a deep respect for the Winfield boys on the SKOL?)
I tell you what, it was great getting to work a set of engines that hard. If you've never been onboard an engine during kicking operations, it is a cacaphonic mix of revving-up 645's followed by screeching brakes, both of which are accompanied by slack either banging in or out, as the case may be. Not for the those of a delicate nature, I might add. However, as I am wont to say in regards to railroad equipment: "They ain't made out of eggshells, you know."
After Thursday's round, we had 8 hours to get rested and back to work. (Note: We stopped work just short of 12 hours so we could legally come back on duty after 8 consecutive hours, had we worked 12 complete hours, we would have been required to be off duty for 10 consecutive hours. We thus helped the company access a crew two hours sooner.)
Friday proved quite interesting in a different sort of way. It was one of those deals that involved a ransom scheme.
Ransom? On a railroad? "How can that be?", you ask?
Well, pull up a chair an' ol' Coonskin will tell the tale. It goes like this...
The small Winfield Yard was carbound again. (Imagine that.) Only the mainline was clear. In addition, there were 40 or 50 sand empties stuffed out on the old House Track-turned-Rubbermaid Lead. (If you go all the way to the end, you will find the large Rubbermaid facility, which the SKOL serves.) Those empty sand cars HAD to go to the sand plant by 1415 hrs.
No options.
No "catch it tomorrow".
If the cars were NOT there, then customer poop was going to hit the SKOL fan. (Word of wisdom: You don't want to be standing in front of the fan when that happens.)
A plan was devised: I would take a set of wide cab Geeps out the couple miles or so on the House Track to fetch the cars. The conductor and brakeman would meet me there. Train readied, I would then run the empties back off the House Track, through the Winfield yard, over the BNSF, and out the Old Moline Sub to the sand plant. Conductor Dickie would morph into Engineer Dickie (he's a certified engineer) and brakeman Webb would become Conductor Webb, and they would keep working the yard as I made my way to the sand plant. Great plan. No problem. Looks like I'll have them there by 1415 hrs, but just barely.
Now, that House Track thing is quite unique. First off, it is 5 MPH track. It runs through the streets of Winfield. It runs through people's back yards and down dirt alleys. In fact, at one point, I had to stop the light power and let a dump truck move so I could continue my way. At another point, I was easing down the middle of a road that junctioned at a 4-way stop. (Hmmm... that car on the right arrived first... does he go through before I do?) Trust me, it is very odd seeing a set of ex-CN wide cab 40's trundling through somebody's back yard.
Anyway, all was going well as I plodded along the rickety old track. That is, until the radio crackled: "BN Local 9 to the SKOL. Over".
Knowing that Conductor Dickie would be able to hear the BNSF engine's radio but not have the range on his hand held to return an answer, I responded: "SKOL. Go ahead. Over". (By this time in the week, for the most part, I knew what he was going to say next.)
"We're at Udall. We've got about 1500' feet for you. Over".
It was at this point that things got "interesting".
You see, just a short while before the BN's call, the UP Local had dialed us up advising they were nearing the Winfield Yard on their return from Arkansas City as well. Of course, they too, wanted in the World's Most Popular Yard: Winfield Yard.
But there was a fly in the ointment: I knew we were carbound. I also knew we HAD to get these sand cars through the yard and over the BNSF immediately. I also knew that we would NOT be ready to head through the yard and over the BNSF before BN Local 9 was ready to enter the yard, for Udall was only 15 train minutes away and I was still in transit toward the main line at only 5 MPH, and then on down to the yard. Plus, there was the UP Local that also needed access.
Perhaps at this point, it would be prudent to explain a bit about Winfield Yard and WN Junction. On the west end of the yard, hard against the yard throat, runs the double track BNSF mains. On the north end of WN Junction, the main splits: The Douglas Sub heading off to the northeast, and the Arkansas City Sub continuing on toward Wichita. The UP had trackage rights on BNSF tracks. Through this junction passes umpteen trains per day. Sometimes it seems to be a continual parade, especially when its 3 AM in the morning and the lightning is flashing and cracking around you during a downpour... and you're waiting for 3 BNSF throughs to pass by before you can go over. However, I digress.
Now, back to the conversation with BN Local 9:
A quick relay to Conductor Dickie and I relay the news that I already knew:
"SKOL to BN Local 9. Over."
"BN Local 9. Go ahead. Over".
"BN Local 9, Conductor Dickie advises that we cannot receive you at this point. The UP Local is also needing in. Winfield Yard is carbound. The UP will need to get in first in order to have tracks to yard your train. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Over".
(A bit of silence.... then)
"Do you have an ETA for us SKOL? Over."
(Following a quick conversation with Jason...)
"Could be an hour or so. Over".
Unbeknownst to the BNSF, we had just taken WN Jct as our hostage. The next series of events was fairly predictable.
"DS 17 to BN Local 9. Over". (By the way, "DS 17" is the call term for the BNSF Dispatcher.)
"BN Local 9. Go ahead. Over".
"How long did they say before you get in? Over."
"About an hour. Over."
(Short silence.)
"I can't tie up my railroad that long, is there anything that we can do to make this happen faster? Over."
About this time, us good-ol boys at SKOL laid out our ransom demands. I reached for the radio:
"SKOL to DS 17. Over".
"DS 17. Go ahead SKOL. Over".
"DS 17 we may have a plan that will help you. We have a train that needs to get through the yard and over WN Jct first. After he gets through, we can use our yard power to pull cars to clear up BN Local 9 so he can yard his train and get his outbound. If we can get that one train through first, we can bring BN Local 9 right in. Over".
"How long do anticipate before needing the signal at WN Jct? Over."
"I can be there in about 5-10 minutes. Over."
(Without hesitation...)
"Sounds like a plan. Let's make that happen. DS 17 to BN Local 9. Over."
"BN Local 9. Go ahead. Over."
"I'm going to hold you on the Main for a few minutes to get the SKOL through WN Jct. I'll stack the signals so after they clear the limits you'll get your signal to enter Winfield Yard. Over."
Ah hah! They were willing to pay the ransom!
It worked like a charm! By the time I was rounding the last curve off the House Track and entering the Main Track, Conductor Dickie had changed hats to become Engineer Dickie and he and his Conductor Webb were just clearing the House Track switch with their cut. Conductor Webb aligned the House Track switch for my movement so I could proceed without delay down through the yard and to WN Jct.
Needless to say, DS 17 granted authority to key the signal at WN Jct post haste, and within minutes I was rumbling over the BNSF and onto the Old Moline Sub.
Yup, the cars made it to the sand plant in time, and the poop-on-fan syndrome was avoided.
Well, all for now!
Andre Ming
* For those that do not "know" me well, I am an engineer for Watco Companies. "Loaning-out" is a slang term for being temporarily shifted from your primary subdivision, to a subdivision that is short handed.
Full Version: Ransom At WN Jct.
Great story, Andre! Keep 'em coming.
Interesting to hear how it's REALLY done out in the world of Model Railroading in 12" = 1' scale.
"Off the record", was what you guys did totally "legal"?
Seems that if you don't "bend the rules" a little, you don't "git 'er done" sometimes.
Interesting to hear how it's REALLY done out in the world of Model Railroading in 12" = 1' scale.
"Off the record", was what you guys did totally "legal"?
Seems that if you don't "bend the rules" a little, you don't "git 'er done" sometimes.
TomW wondered:
> "Off the record", was what you guys did totally "legal"?
You mean stopping short of our 12 hours? Absolutely legal. We stopped work at 11.75 hours. You are allowed to go up to 11 hours 59 minutes and still not go out on the law. However, IMHO working up to 11:59 is splitting hairs and leaves little room for error. Besides, our payrole department pays on the quarter hour.
As for our plan to get through WN Jct: Nothing jaded at all. It was the only plan that would get BN Local 9 in/out of the yard as quickly as we did. It was more of a "you scratch our back, we'll scratch yours" type of thing. We advocated no mistruths or gave any mis-information, we simply laid our cards on the table at the best time to suit our hand.
As for bending operating rules: One must adhere to them or:
A. Die.
B. Get maimed.
C. Get fired.
D. Both B and C.
For what it's worth, the FRA came visiting the SKOL at Winfield on Thursday. The paperwork at the depot and on all the engines passed, as well as all employee's operating efficiencies. There were no write-ups or fines levied. I advocate that when you work legal, you don't have to worry about the FRA. When you stop to think about it, the rules, the FRA, all that stuff, is only there to try to help keep you alive and unhurt. I may be a bit different, but I enjoy learning and applying operating rules. I am actually quite proud that Zack and I have a reputation on the KCS (where our Waldron Sub interchanges) for knowing the rules and abiding by them.
Now, if you want to hear real tales about bending rules... I'll have to retrieve anecdotes from back during my more rough and tumble days of railroading! On second thought, nope... I'd better not.
Andre
> "Off the record", was what you guys did totally "legal"?
You mean stopping short of our 12 hours? Absolutely legal. We stopped work at 11.75 hours. You are allowed to go up to 11 hours 59 minutes and still not go out on the law. However, IMHO working up to 11:59 is splitting hairs and leaves little room for error. Besides, our payrole department pays on the quarter hour.
As for our plan to get through WN Jct: Nothing jaded at all. It was the only plan that would get BN Local 9 in/out of the yard as quickly as we did. It was more of a "you scratch our back, we'll scratch yours" type of thing. We advocated no mistruths or gave any mis-information, we simply laid our cards on the table at the best time to suit our hand.
As for bending operating rules: One must adhere to them or:
A. Die.
B. Get maimed.
C. Get fired.
D. Both B and C.
For what it's worth, the FRA came visiting the SKOL at Winfield on Thursday. The paperwork at the depot and on all the engines passed, as well as all employee's operating efficiencies. There were no write-ups or fines levied. I advocate that when you work legal, you don't have to worry about the FRA. When you stop to think about it, the rules, the FRA, all that stuff, is only there to try to help keep you alive and unhurt. I may be a bit different, but I enjoy learning and applying operating rules. I am actually quite proud that Zack and I have a reputation on the KCS (where our Waldron Sub interchanges) for knowing the rules and abiding by them.
Now, if you want to hear real tales about bending rules... I'll have to retrieve anecdotes from back during my more rough and tumble days of railroading! On second thought, nope... I'd better not.
Andre
Its about time you entertained us again with one of your stories Andre, now go get some shut eye 
PS, I would love to see some shots of your street running in Winfield and other locations, hint,hint
PS, I would love to see some shots of your street running in Winfield and other locations, hint,hint
Andre:
The way you look at railroading as more than "just a job", I assumed you knew and followed the rules inside and out.
What I was asking about was the "morphing" of the crew.
It temporarily gave you 2 crews working the job to clear the bottleneck, and you did say that the
conductor was also a qualified engineer.
The way you look at railroading as more than "just a job", I assumed you knew and followed the rules inside and out.
What I was asking about was the "morphing" of the crew.
It temporarily gave you 2 crews working the job to clear the bottleneck, and you did say that the
conductor was also a qualified engineer.
Kevin said:
>Its about time you entertained us again with one of your stories Andre,
I enjoy sharing experiences and teaching others. One of the positives of being in the ministry as long as I was, was it was a great way to communicate and teach.
> know go get some shut eye
Ah, but I was quite rested when I typed the above! In fact, I was so rested I was simply entertaining myself by typing it out for others to read. I'm not much of a TV person, I'd much rather create something or work on something with my free time.
> PS, I would love to see some shots of your street running in
> Winfield and other locations, hint,hint
Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me to western OK a couple weeks ago. Given the "New Mexico" look out at Eagle, I really regretted that. I DID remember to take it with me to Winfield, but alas, it stayed in my carry-on luggage at the motel and never made it into my RR grip I carry onboard. I think it would be enjoyable to take pictures of places I've railroaded and perhaps some of the crews... but it seems that once you get busy, you're busy... and you don't think of things like that until after the fact. I've already missed opportunities to take photos at many locations.
TomW said:
> The way you look at railroading as more than "just a job", I assumed you knew
> and followed the rules inside and out.
Well, it is indeed an accurate observation that it is more than just a job to me. I really believe that when you are created, you have certain desires, gifts, and abilities that are part of you. Happy is the man that can connect those desires, gifts, and abilities with his vocation. In my case, as a youngster, I loved trains. Then, as a young man, once I was brought into the exclusive fraternity of railroading, I discovered that I loved railroading more than the trains. In my opinion, most railfans like trains better than railroading, which is why they need to stay OUT of railroading and instead pursue their enjoyment of trains. (Does that make sense?) Therefore, it is not much problem for me to work long hours and go through the things I go through, simply because railroading is "in me".
> What I was asking about was the "morphing" of the crew... you did say that the
> conductor was also a qualified engineer.
I have seen it before that when the SKOL is short of engineers, they will pull a home road engineer out of the cab and put him on the ground and bring in outside guy to cover the engines. My skills as an engineer are supposed to be much more quickly adapatable to a new enviorn than coming into a complex operation "cold" as a Conductor and having to learn the job. It would take about a week to teach a seasoned Conductor all the nuances at Winfield. As an engineer, I can come in and cover a yard switch job without any actual tutoring.
Road jobs are different. On a road job, you need a familiarization run. When sent out to western OK a couple weeks ago, I was to cover the Cyril-Lawton-Eagle local. I received a familiarization run that consisted of riding out to Lawton/Eagle with a seasoned engineer, and then I ran back. Trusting your skill level/experience as an engineer, you are expected to be able to take it over after one brief look and get trains safely over the road*. I love working a road job. Would like to do more of it. While at Winfield this past week, the GM at SKOL indicated that he could possibly use me quite regularly out of Cherryvale KS. I think all the jobs out of Cherryvale are road jobs, so I told him I was very interested and we would talk after Thanksgiving.
Shortline/regionals have much more flexible crew utilization than Class 1's., so it is not uncommon to have dual-qualified crews working a job. In fact, after Zack has been with the ARS one year (Zack is the Conductor that begin his railroading with me this year), Zack will begin learning to run engines. Once certified, I suspect he will then cover our sub in the engine when I'm out on loan.
Andre
* There are exceptions to this expectation. Some subs are such butt-kickers that it takes several runs to get a good feel for the terrain and what is needed to move trains safely over them.
>Its about time you entertained us again with one of your stories Andre,
I enjoy sharing experiences and teaching others. One of the positives of being in the ministry as long as I was, was it was a great way to communicate and teach.
> know go get some shut eye
Ah, but I was quite rested when I typed the above! In fact, I was so rested I was simply entertaining myself by typing it out for others to read. I'm not much of a TV person, I'd much rather create something or work on something with my free time.
> PS, I would love to see some shots of your street running in
> Winfield and other locations, hint,hint
Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me to western OK a couple weeks ago. Given the "New Mexico" look out at Eagle, I really regretted that. I DID remember to take it with me to Winfield, but alas, it stayed in my carry-on luggage at the motel and never made it into my RR grip I carry onboard. I think it would be enjoyable to take pictures of places I've railroaded and perhaps some of the crews... but it seems that once you get busy, you're busy... and you don't think of things like that until after the fact. I've already missed opportunities to take photos at many locations.
TomW said:
> The way you look at railroading as more than "just a job", I assumed you knew
> and followed the rules inside and out.
Well, it is indeed an accurate observation that it is more than just a job to me. I really believe that when you are created, you have certain desires, gifts, and abilities that are part of you. Happy is the man that can connect those desires, gifts, and abilities with his vocation. In my case, as a youngster, I loved trains. Then, as a young man, once I was brought into the exclusive fraternity of railroading, I discovered that I loved railroading more than the trains. In my opinion, most railfans like trains better than railroading, which is why they need to stay OUT of railroading and instead pursue their enjoyment of trains. (Does that make sense?) Therefore, it is not much problem for me to work long hours and go through the things I go through, simply because railroading is "in me".
> What I was asking about was the "morphing" of the crew... you did say that the
> conductor was also a qualified engineer.
I have seen it before that when the SKOL is short of engineers, they will pull a home road engineer out of the cab and put him on the ground and bring in outside guy to cover the engines. My skills as an engineer are supposed to be much more quickly adapatable to a new enviorn than coming into a complex operation "cold" as a Conductor and having to learn the job. It would take about a week to teach a seasoned Conductor all the nuances at Winfield. As an engineer, I can come in and cover a yard switch job without any actual tutoring.
Road jobs are different. On a road job, you need a familiarization run. When sent out to western OK a couple weeks ago, I was to cover the Cyril-Lawton-Eagle local. I received a familiarization run that consisted of riding out to Lawton/Eagle with a seasoned engineer, and then I ran back. Trusting your skill level/experience as an engineer, you are expected to be able to take it over after one brief look and get trains safely over the road*. I love working a road job. Would like to do more of it. While at Winfield this past week, the GM at SKOL indicated that he could possibly use me quite regularly out of Cherryvale KS. I think all the jobs out of Cherryvale are road jobs, so I told him I was very interested and we would talk after Thanksgiving.
Shortline/regionals have much more flexible crew utilization than Class 1's., so it is not uncommon to have dual-qualified crews working a job. In fact, after Zack has been with the ARS one year (Zack is the Conductor that begin his railroading with me this year), Zack will begin learning to run engines. Once certified, I suspect he will then cover our sub in the engine when I'm out on loan.
Andre
* There are exceptions to this expectation. Some subs are such butt-kickers that it takes several runs to get a good feel for the terrain and what is needed to move trains safely over them.
Andre,
Did you find any weak ones in the bunch, kicking them that deep? I will say one thing, that after 12 hours on an engine you get kinda numb. If you do this day in and day out like I did for some time on the CN/IC, a short line looks mighty fine. At least I'm in my own bed everynight or day or whatever.
Keep the stories coming my friend,
CKep (Iowa Northern Railway engineer)
www.Iowanorthern.com
Did you find any weak ones in the bunch, kicking them that deep? I will say one thing, that after 12 hours on an engine you get kinda numb. If you do this day in and day out like I did for some time on the CN/IC, a short line looks mighty fine. At least I'm in my own bed everynight or day or whatever.
Keep the stories coming my friend,
CKep (Iowa Northern Railway engineer)
www.Iowanorthern.com
Hi Kep!
You done said:
> Did you find any weak ones in the bunch, kicking them that deep?
Had some that didn't roll like Jason expected. Would have to do a "bump n' shove" on the contrary ones. All in all, though, it went very fast. Sometimes Switchman Webb would have two cuts rolling down two different tracks at once that he would have to eyeball onto the awaiting stands of cars.
> I will say one thing, that after 12 hours on an engine you get kinda numb.
And the shifts all blurr together. You can't really remember if it was this shift/day or that in which you did something or other. I am home now, aren't I?
> If you do this day in and day out like I did for some time on the CN/IC, a short line
> looks mighty fine.
And what I am describing is supposed to be shortline/regional railroading! Actually, though I know what you're saying. The Waldron Sub that is my primary responsibility is very laid back (most times).
> At least I'm in my own bed everynight or day or whatever.
And that is where the Waldron Sub falls short. We are at the mercy of the KCS in regards to X-chng, so we're basically "on call" when trying to get in to make X-chng.
This weekend is a textbook example: We ran empties over from Waldron to the KCS yard board yesterday. Since there wasn't a snowball's chance of getting in and making X-chng, we tied up and went on call. Looks like we will be getting in tonight sometime, and once we do, it's off to Waldron to get the revenue loads off our dollar (i.e. the Arkansas Southern) and onto the customer's dollar. IF it goes "well", we'll wrap up about 3 or 4 AM Monday.
> Keep the stories coming my friend,
Oh, you can count on it. Like I said, I enjoy sharing experiences with others that can relate, or are interested. You need to pitch some of your anecdotes toward us too!
> CKep (Iowa Northern Railway engineer)
I hit your website link you provided. Nice looking operation! Looks like you have some good power to work with. The SKOL is considerably more rough and tumble in regards to the power department. None of the power I ran over the course of the past week was painted in any "official" SKOL paint scheme. Offhand, I recall running units in former Wheeling & Lake Erie paint, CN paint, UP paint, NS paint, ATSF paint... and some others I can't recall?
Good hearing from you Kep.
Andre
You done said:
> Did you find any weak ones in the bunch, kicking them that deep?
Had some that didn't roll like Jason expected. Would have to do a "bump n' shove" on the contrary ones. All in all, though, it went very fast. Sometimes Switchman Webb would have two cuts rolling down two different tracks at once that he would have to eyeball onto the awaiting stands of cars.
> I will say one thing, that after 12 hours on an engine you get kinda numb.
And the shifts all blurr together. You can't really remember if it was this shift/day or that in which you did something or other. I am home now, aren't I?
> If you do this day in and day out like I did for some time on the CN/IC, a short line
> looks mighty fine.
And what I am describing is supposed to be shortline/regional railroading! Actually, though I know what you're saying. The Waldron Sub that is my primary responsibility is very laid back (most times).
> At least I'm in my own bed everynight or day or whatever.
And that is where the Waldron Sub falls short. We are at the mercy of the KCS in regards to X-chng, so we're basically "on call" when trying to get in to make X-chng.
This weekend is a textbook example: We ran empties over from Waldron to the KCS yard board yesterday. Since there wasn't a snowball's chance of getting in and making X-chng, we tied up and went on call. Looks like we will be getting in tonight sometime, and once we do, it's off to Waldron to get the revenue loads off our dollar (i.e. the Arkansas Southern) and onto the customer's dollar. IF it goes "well", we'll wrap up about 3 or 4 AM Monday.
> Keep the stories coming my friend,
Oh, you can count on it. Like I said, I enjoy sharing experiences with others that can relate, or are interested. You need to pitch some of your anecdotes toward us too!
> CKep (Iowa Northern Railway engineer)
I hit your website link you provided. Nice looking operation! Looks like you have some good power to work with. The SKOL is considerably more rough and tumble in regards to the power department. None of the power I ran over the course of the past week was painted in any "official" SKOL paint scheme. Offhand, I recall running units in former Wheeling & Lake Erie paint, CN paint, UP paint, NS paint, ATSF paint... and some others I can't recall?
Good hearing from you Kep.
Andre
Thanks so much for adding another volume to the growing encyclopedia of railroading memories. I always look forward to my new issue of Trains magazine and the first place I go is the back for the "selected railroad reading" where good folks such as yourself share wisdom and stories of their RR related careers and experiences working for the different railroads.
Have you ever thought about putting all these things together in one "book" for easy access? Market the thing here and it would be a sure-sell for people like me and my brother!
Have you ever thought about putting all these things together in one "book" for easy access? Market the thing here and it would be a sure-sell for people like me and my brother!
Thanks Andre for the stories.
As far as rules - while at times some seem stupid, they are there because some idiot got hurt/killed/or killed someone.
Long periods of work - After a few days, you tendto forget what day of the week it is. I have to look at my phone to remember. All I know is that I am working day ? of x number of days. Right now I work 21 days at a time, but I have worked a couple of months without a day off. I am good for 45, then I start getting crabby, after 50 I become a real bear, and after 60 I become a PFC.
As far as rules - while at times some seem stupid, they are there because some idiot got hurt/killed/or killed someone.
Long periods of work - After a few days, you tendto forget what day of the week it is. I have to look at my phone to remember. All I know is that I am working day ? of x number of days. Right now I work 21 days at a time, but I have worked a couple of months without a day off. I am good for 45, then I start getting crabby, after 50 I become a real bear, and after 60 I become a PFC.
"PFC?"
Pretty funky character?
Pretty funky character?
P***k first class
after 60 days Kev? 
kevarc said:
We've worked the last three weekends. By that I mean, collected all the empites in town and took them back to the interchange with KCS. Two of the three trips we tied up at the yard board because they didn't have room for 60-80 empties of their own...let alone the 30-35 we had for them. We then end up coming back in Sunday afternoon and finally dropping the empties and getting the loads (if they are all there) and highball back to Waldron to "spot 'em up". After a couple rounds of working most of the weekend and of odd days during the week...you have to look at the calendar to figure out which day of the week it is.
Andre was reported saying:
There has been at least two different times they (the yard crew) were in such a hurry for us to get in & get out of the yard they sent a crew van over to pick me up from the back of the train and take me back to the front...just because they know that we run our little subdivision by the book and it takes time to walk a 35-40 car train. Another instance was one morning I was standing in the yard office waiting for ATM on duty (Assintant Train Master) to had me the wheel list of cars I'm fixing to pick up. One of the KCS crew memebers was telling stories about things they used to do when the "Hillbilly Central" was a KCS branch line. This ATM spoke up quickly and said he didn't think such things would happen on the ARS...them boys are too straight laced. It pays to follow the rules...not only in the eyes of the FRA, but Class 1s do take notice as well.
QUOTE
Long periods of work - After a few days, you tendto forget what day of the week it is
We've worked the last three weekends. By that I mean, collected all the empites in town and took them back to the interchange with KCS. Two of the three trips we tied up at the yard board because they didn't have room for 60-80 empties of their own...let alone the 30-35 we had for them. We then end up coming back in Sunday afternoon and finally dropping the empties and getting the loads (if they are all there) and highball back to Waldron to "spot 'em up". After a couple rounds of working most of the weekend and of odd days during the week...you have to look at the calendar to figure out which day of the week it is.
Andre was reported saying:
QUOTE
I am actually quite proud that Zack and I have a reputation on the KCS (where our Waldron Sub interchanges) for knowing the rules and abiding by them.
There has been at least two different times they (the yard crew) were in such a hurry for us to get in & get out of the yard they sent a crew van over to pick me up from the back of the train and take me back to the front...just because they know that we run our little subdivision by the book and it takes time to walk a 35-40 car train. Another instance was one morning I was standing in the yard office waiting for ATM on duty (Assintant Train Master) to had me the wheel list of cars I'm fixing to pick up. One of the KCS crew memebers was telling stories about things they used to do when the "Hillbilly Central" was a KCS branch line. This ATM spoke up quickly and said he didn't think such things would happen on the ARS...them boys are too straight laced. It pays to follow the rules...not only in the eyes of the FRA, but Class 1s do take notice as well.
Excellent Story..
Thanks for sharing!
R/
Galen
Thanks for sharing!
R/
Galen
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